Villain-Con Minion Blast (General Discussion)

[TheCodeMan95]

The permits for this project include a "popcorn cart" named "Pop A Nana", which is the name of a banana-flavored popcorn stand in Universal Japan. That may be the name of the updated kiosk near Fallon, but still not sure as the permits do not list specific location.

B-banana popcorn..?

 

[GAcoaster]

The permits for this project include a "popcorn cart" named "Pop A Nana", which is the name of a banana-flavored popcorn stand in Universal Japan. That may be the name of the updated kiosk near Fallon, but still not sure as the permits do not list specific location.

OK-- that fits with what I heard. I haven't heard the name for the popsicle stand yet...

 

[Alicia]

OK-- that fits with what I heard. I haven't heard the name for the popsicle stand yet...

Going by the trademark, for all we know, Freeze Ray Pops could just be a product offering within the sweet shop and not its own stand or kiosk. The popcorn stand is its own stand though, according to permits.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

I'm curious to see what the Freeze Ray pops will be.

Hopefully not just Minute Maid popsicles pulled out of the packaging lol

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I'm curious to see what the Freeze Ray pops will be.

Hopefully not just Minute Maid popsicles pulled out of the packaging lol

The new NY snack stands have a mango pop on the menu, though I actually haven't seen them in person yet. Probably something similar but with various other flavors

 

[tielo]

I expect the food offering building to be the best themed building at Yollowmination Avenue and that is a bit sad for this excellent ip.
My hope is the inside of Villain Con will blow us away as a saving grace.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I expect the food offering building to be the best themed building at Yollowmination Avenue and that is a bit sad for this excellent ip.
My hope is the inside of Villain Con will blow us away as a saving grace.

Yes, the Monster Cafe replacement seems like its going to be the only properly themed section of the "land," which will just highlight the collection of half-measure decisions made regarding Blast.

 

[Nico]

Y’all are a bunch of downers this morning. You guys do remember Shrek 4D right?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Y’all are a bunch of downers this morning. You guys do remember Shrek 4D right?

Goal posts always move. Always.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Goal posts always move. Always.

What goal post is moving? Posters have always been leery of Blast, which is, as I said, a series of half-measures - not a full ride, using half the available space, very little exterior theming, keeping the warehouse structures that are an archaic remnant of the "behind the scenes" approach the parks have almost totally abandoned. Now, none of that means it's not going to be a fun experience or that it won't be a big improvement over Shrek. I suspect it will be. But it's also true true that the big, largely bare warehouse, one of the first things guests see upon entering a park that features almost universally excellent immersive theming everywhere else, is going to be a lingering reminder that the attraction is a bit of a stopgap.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Y’all are a bunch of downers this morning. You guys do remember Shrek 4D right?

I think it’s totally fair to be critical of this attraction based on what we know so far. You know how everyone gets up and arms over how much Disney spends on its rides? And how it’s not about the quality of the ride itself but the opportunity cost and the “what could have been” if money had been saved and set aside for something else?

I think that same line of thinking absolutely applies here. It’s not that this ride won’t be better than Shrek 4-D (although, I kinda liked Shrek and could probably make a case for it), it’s that what it represents right now comes at the expense of something better. Did we absolutely NEED Shrek 4-D to close down while Epic was being built? Couldn’t we have just kind of dealt with it while resources were stretched thin and patiently waited for something bigger and better? Because what we have now is…
1.) the same tired soundstage look at the front of the park
2.) a sub-par representation of a monster franchise (when we know given the box office and merch sales Minions could’ve been an excuse to do so much more)
3.) another screen ride, only this time the thrill comes from…get this…standing on a moving walkway. You know, those things you walked on to get from the parking lot to the park

This could end up being an absolute blast, I grant you that. But it still came at the potential cost of a revamped entrance, a legitimate “ride” backed by the financial power of the Minions franchise, and an improvement on the interactive gimmick we’ll soon be getting with Mario Kart.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

The fact that several IPs like Minions, Frozen, etc. in Orlando have been shoe-horned into pre-existing areas rather than proper areas will always be baffling to me.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Did they announce anything about this ride today?

 

[ReelJustice]

I cannot wait for this ride to open, be hella fun, and be the talk of the town.

 

[Nico]

If I could spend Universal's money, I would spend a billion dollars in Studios. I would love the front of the park to look more cohesive, much like Hollywood's entrance. I want a Pokemon Land. I want a boat ride and 2 new more animatronic heavy dark rides, plus all of the improved entertainment to open before EU. Uni disagrees with me. I unfortunately have to settle for this decision. I am lacking so much information that is required to make business decisions like this.

Arm chair designing is fun, and a lot of what we come up with would help the parks, or seems more interesting than what we know is coming. But there's an underlying message of "We know better" that makes me uncomfortable if we leave it unacknowledged. I try to make sure I include "I" statements, in most of my posts because :
1. Echo chambers are real in this community.
2. They acknowledge that, honestly, my opinion doesn't truly matter.

Purchasing power is real. Guest feedback is real. Forums are not. As long as we can agree that literally none of this is serious, it becomes instantly easier to be respectful in disagreements.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I got a chance to ride one of the Blast-style curved moving walkways for the first time a few weeks ago and was surprised at how shaky the curves can make you feel. With a wide range of age groups riding, distracted by the screens, shifting their balance to hit targets, and taking their hands off the railing to hold the gun, I can see a LOT of folks falling over - and I imagine someone falling over anywhere on the walkways path would probably require all movement stop. It could really be an ops nightmare.

 

[Nico]

I got a chance to ride one of the Blast-style curved moving walkways for the first time a few weeks ago and was surprised at how shaky the curves can make you feel. With a wide range of age groups riding, distracted by the screens, shifting their balance to hit targets, and taking their hands off the railing to hold the gun, I can see a LOT of folks falling over - and I imagine someone falling over anywhere on the walkways path would probably require all movement stop. It could really be an ops nightmare.

Where did you ride?

 

[Casper Gutman]

If I could spend Universal's money, I would spend a billion dollars in Studios. I would love the front of the park to look more cohesive, much like Hollywood's entrance. I want a Pokemon Land. I want a boat ride and 2 new more animatronic heavy dark rides, plus all of the improved entertainment to open before EU. Uni disagrees with me. I unfortunately have to settle for this decision. I am lacking so much information that is required to make business decisions like this.

Arm chair designing is fun, and a lot of what we come up with would help the parks, or seems more interesting than what we know is coming. But there's an underlying message of "We know better" that makes me uncomfortable if we leave it unacknowledged. I try to make sure I include "I" statements, in most of my posts because :
1. Echo chambers are real in this community.
2. They acknowledge that, honestly, my opinion doesn't truly matter.

Purchasing power is real. Guest feedback is real. Forums are not. As long as we can agree that literally none of this is serious, it becomes instantly easier to be respectful in disagreements.

I think it is a very, very profound error to assume the folks making the decisions at major corporations are doing so in a particularly intelligent or informed way. Yes, they have access to a great deal more information then you or me, but they are also human and just as subject to the same arrogance, groupthink, and lack of self-reflection that afflict us all - moreso, often. As far as echo chambers go, a message board ain't got noting on a corporate board room packed full of millionaires. Reading any business history should quickly disabuse you of the unquestionable wisdom of corporate decision-makers. Indeed, all we need to do is look around - the entire entertainment industry is reeling right now because they made a series of ignorant, hasty, lemming-like, wildly overconfident decisions regarding streaming and traditional theaters. Or we can look at individual companies like Warner Bros. or certain social media firms for demonstrations of just how badly rich, powerful corporate decision makers can misjudge their own industry, audience, and product.

Basically, always remember - New Coke happened.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Where did you ride?

Georgia Aquarium

 

[Nico]

I think it is a very, very profound error to assume the folks making the decisions at major corporations are doing so in a particularly intelligent or informed way. Yes, they have access to a great deal more information then you or me, but they are also human and just as subject to the same arrogance, groupthink, and lack of self-reflection that afflict us all - moreso, often. As far as echo chambers go, a message board ain't got noting on a corporate board room packed full of millionaires. Reading any business history should quickly disabuse you of the unquestionable wisdom of corporate decision-makers. Indeed, all we need to do is look around - the entire entertainment industry is reeling right now because they made a series of ignorant, hasty, lemming-like, wildly overconfident decisions regarding streaming and traditional theaters. Or we can look at individual companies like Warner Bros. or certain social media firms for demonstrations of just how badly rich, powerful corporate decision makers can misjudge their own industry, audience, and product.

Basically, always remember - New Coke happened.

I get that. But personally, I’m generally happy this place that I love is getting love. I dislike Supercharged. That was a mistake. Thierry publicly agrees. I would rather people make mistakes spending money, then make the mistake of not investing.